


Bastard Paperclips

by red0aktree



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Board Games, Bucky thinks he's cute, Fluff, Multi, Role-Playing Game, Steve is game master of a RPG, Teasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-10-15
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red0aktree/pseuds/red0aktree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off two prompts: "We need to get there before it closes.” + “Given that I will be dead soon, I’d say that I have the least to lose.”</p><p>Steve works at a board game shop. Bucky is dragged in by a lovestruck Clint, who is intent on asking Natasha Romanov out on a date. Bucky strikes up a conversation with the cute blond manning the counter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. S.H.I.E.L.D

**Author's Note:**

> For agt-parker on tumblr. Go ahead and send me an ask if you want a story of your own! My tumblr is red-0ak-tree and the post about the prompts is here (http://goo.gl/wxSzq5).

If one didn’t know better -- and let it be known that Bucky _definitely_ knew better -- one would almost certainly think that Clint had some sort of nervous tick. The usually collected blond was bouncing his knee rapidly, his bottom lip pulled between his only-slightly crooked teeth. Clint’s fingers drummed against his thigh, his steely eyes analyzing every car that whizzed by outside of the bus.

“Hey Clint,” Bucky pointed, “Look. Mike’s Records is open again. We should stop by.”

 _No_ , Clint signed, refusing to add to the dull chatter filling the buses interior. _We’re already going to be late_.

“I meant after,” Bucky pouted, twisting the bulky silver ring on his middle finger, before smoothing out the ripped denim of his jeans across his thighs.

 _We need to get there before it closes_. Clint wasn’t wrong. The evening was quickly nearing, the shop would be closing soon.

“No shit,” Bucky snorted, “People don’t usually go to shops with the _intention_ of showing up after closing.”

Clint raised an eyebrow, his nervous fingers stilling for a moment.

 _Okay fine_ , Bucky signed, grinning, _Some people do. But those are very different shops, I assure you_.

Clint laughed at that, his chuckling only settling once they arrived at their stop.

Brooklyn Games was a tiny shop in New York, barely out of walking distance of Clint and Bucky’s apartment. The building was plain, squeezed between a coffee shop and a clothing retail store. Brooklyn Games was unique to the city because it specialized in board games.

Brooklyn Games was unique to Clint because one of the workers was “outrageously beautiful”, as he’d put it.

Today was the big lead up, the final act. The reveal.

“So, are you going to ask her to coffee or what’s the big plan here?” Bucky had asked as he was dragged from the apartment, his leather jacket slung over his shoulder.

“Something like that,” Clint shrugged. “Natasha doesn’t look like someone who drinks coffee, though.”

“What does she look like she drinks then?” Bucky asked, twisting his face into a frown as he tried to imagine what someone who _did_ drink coffee looked like. His final answer was Clint. Because Clint drank coffee. _A lot_ of coffee.

“I don’t know, lemon juice? Maybe the blood of her enemies?” Clint sounded completely serious.

Upon entering the shop, Buck realized he had been. The woman standing at the counter was no doubt beautiful, as well as dangerous. Natasha’s sleek red hair tumbled over her shoulders softly, the color matching the painted shine of her lipstick. Her lips were pursed as she listened the man beside her talk animatedly.

Bucky might have tried to steal her right out from under Clint’s nose if it weren’t for the masterpiece beside her. The man was small, very thin in the shoulders, with a strong jaw and long eyelashes. He used his hands to talk, grinning as he did so.

Both of the workers looked up to greet the customers as they entered. Natasha smiled, looking softer than before, but no less fear-inspiring.

“Clint,” She greeted, “Hey! We got the shipment you were waiting for.”

“Great,” Clint grinned, stepping away from Bucky, looking his normal calm self. His demeanor had changed drastically.

“Yeah, come grab it with me,” Natasha beckoned for him to follow, and he did, eagerly. Bucky watched them disappear amongst the towering shelves, filled from floor to ceiling with board games, both obscure and popular.

“Can I help you with anything?” The man at the counter asked, his lashes brushing his pale cheeks as his blinked at Bucky pleasantly.

“Yeah,” Bucky smirked, stalking toward the counter, “You can explain to me why people even buy board games anymore.”

“Why don’t you ask your friend,” the man gestured over his shoulder toward where Clint and Natasha had disappeared to, “He buys a ton.”

“Oh trust me, I know. Who do you think he suckers into playing them with him?” Bucky leaned against the counter, his studded belt clicking against the plastic siding.

“He actually plays them?” The man laughed, and Bucky’s heart stuttered, “Well, color me surprised. I thought he only bought them to talk to Nat.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. But he does play them. Sometimes. When he actually bothers with the instructions,” Bucky snorted, amused by the fact that even the pretty blond in front of him was aware of Clint’s crush.

“I’m impressed,” he laughed again.

“I’m just bummed he couldn’t fall in love with the clerk at, like, a furniture store or something.”

“Furniture store?”

“Well if he’s going to be bringing home merchandise it might as well be something I can sleep on,” Bucky argued, “Board games kind of suck compared to a nice, warm La-Z Boy.”

“Hey, board games are cool,” the blond protested, smirking.

“Thanks grandpa, I’ll keep that in mind,” Bucky glanced around the shop, searching for Clint, “Do you think they’re coming back?”

“No clue,” he shrugged, “There’s a couch in the break room though, and Nat’s bored enough today that it’s possible we might not see them for quite a while.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow at the other man’s insinuation, finding it just a little sexy. The blond smiled as well, shifting against the counter, leaning in toward Bucky. He had startlingly blue eyes and an eyebrow piercing that seemed to fit his face perfectly. Bucky scanned the plaid shirt covering his thin chest in search of a name tag, but found none. Instead he found a pin that proudly proclaimed, “Ask me about S.H.I.E.L.D”.

“S.H.I.E.L.D, huh?” Bucky asked.

“What?” The blond started, before glancing to the pin, “Oh, yeah, it’s a role-playing game.”

“Tell me about it,” Bucky requested, smirking at the other man and watching him squirm.

“Well, it’s pretty similar to D&D. You have a character, and you interact with the Game Master and the set and everything.”

“And?”

“And…” the man hesitated, “And it’s like this,” he said, grabbing a flyer from the countertop and flipping it over, clicking a pen against his chest. He began to scribble out the outlines of what looked like a room, talking all the while.

“There would be a room, or a set of some sort right? And you would have a character, who would be positioned somewhere in the room. You would then have to roll a 1d6 to move your person.”

“1d6?”

“A die. One six-sided die,” the man explained, “Here, like this.” He ducked behind the counter, returning with a set of dice, and two paper clips.

“Roll this,” he pressed a normal die into Bucky’s palm before placing the paper clip in the corner of the paper nearest Bucky, “And this is your character.”

Bucky rolled a four. The man sketched a grid, and Bucky moved four spaces. Bucky frowned at the other dice, some of them looking awfully spikey.

“Now,” the blond explained, “The game master would say something like, ‘as you approach the center of the room, you can begin to make out a figure before you,’ and put their character down.”

Bucky noticed the thin length of the pale fingers that dropped the second paper clip in front of Bucky’s.

“Now what?” Bucky asked, grinning as the blond’s eyes lit up in excitement.

“Well, then you could do something like draw your weapon or ask me a question.”

“Okay,” Bucky contemplated for a moment, “I want to draw my .460 Magnum.”

“You don’t have one of those,” the blond laughed.

“Why not?”

“You just don’t. Your character isn’t advanced enough to have one of those.”

“My character is a paperclip. If my paperclip wants a .460 Magnum he can damn well have one. I thought this was about imagination and shit.”

“Okay fine,” his laugh was unbelievable, “You draw your .460 Magnum. Now it’s my turn. I draw my AK-47 and aim it directly at your forehead.”

“I say, ‘don’t shoot me, you bastard paperclip,’.”

The blond exploded with laughter, causing Bucky to chuckle as well. He glanced around the shop as the clerk doubled over with gasping laughter. Clint was still nowhere to be seen, the store was thankfully empty. Bucky entertained the thought of what a passerby might think of the two of them, a greasy punk and an adorable hipster standing alone in a board game store, laughing at paperclips on scribbled paper.

“Okay, okay,” the blond gasped, “I say ‘Any last words, jerk?’”

“Jerk, huh?” Bucky smirked again, flirting so unabashedly it almost made him wince, “Fine. I say, ‘Well, punk, before you kill me, at least tell me your name.’”

“I say, ‘Steve, but I go by Captain around here.’” Steve smiled, his pink tongue swiping his soft bottom lip as he watched Bucky.

“I say, ‘Well, Cap, given that I will be dead soon, I’d say I have the least to lose. Give me your phone number?’”

“Mmmm,” Steve hummed, not meeting Bucky’s eyes, “I say, ‘You’re overstepping your bounds here, assuming paperclip,’ and shoot you. And then we would roll to see if you survived. But since you have no armor, I say you died.”

Steve flicked Bucky’s paperclip from the paper, smirking a bit. Bucky gasped, not only surprised, but a bit impressed at how smoothly he had been rejected.

“I was shit at that game anyway,” Bucky muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets, “Thanks for teaching me the basics, I guess.”

Bucky wandered along the shelves, feeling despondent. Steve didn’t say anything, watching Bucky walk away silently. Bucky wasn’t sulking, he told himself. He wasn’t.

Not long after that, Clint and Natasha emerged from the store room, laughing. Natasha’s hair was still draped over her shoulders in perfect waves, so there hadn’t been any sex, Bucky knew that much. But Clint’s lips seemed to be smeared with just a touch of red lipstick, and Bucky felt jealous.

“I’ll ring you up,” Natasha offered, stepping around the counter beside Steve.

“Sounds great,” Clint smiled, “Buck, were you getting anything?”

 _No_ , Bucky signed, stepping beside Clint, standing in front of Steve. Steve reached for something along the counter, before catching Bucky’s eye. Bucky smiled, because he was a good sport. Steve smiled as well, pushing a flyer across the countertop.

“Come play with us sometime,” Steve said, “You weren’t that bad.”

Bucky collected the flyer, printed in large letters at the top was “S.H.I.E.L.D.” Bucky shrugged.

“Yeah, I’ll think about it. See you around, Steve.”

“Bye Clint,” Natasha smirked, winking at Clint as they turned to leave.

Outside, Clint whooped loudly. Natasha had surely heard from inside. Bucky smiled, congratulating Clint.

 _She kissed me_ , Clint signed as they waited at the bus stop. Bucky nodded, glancing down at the paper in his hands.  

His heart just about stopped at the sight of the ten digits scribbled at the bottom in neat, black ink.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of feel like this AU could be a bit of fun. Drop me a line if you agree and want me to continue!
> 
> UPDATE: I /will/ be continuing this! I have the next couple chapters written, and am working on editing them. So, keep your eyes open. We are certain to see more antics from these losers. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS. I'M SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. 
> 
> BTW: The text messages are formatted so that the name is the name the receiver has saved in their phone. I hope that makes sense.

Bucky [8:13PM]: I thought I was overstepping bounds? ;)

Unknown Number [8:16PM]: Umm… Who is this?

Bucky [8:20PM]: Are you fucking kidding me. I knew he gave me a fake number. Sorry.

Unknown Number [8:20PM]: I’m only kidding! This is Steve. I didn’t give you a fake number, I promise. ;))

Bucky [8:21PM]: I’ve only known you a total of two hours and you’re already the biggest pain in my ass.

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:22PM]: Is that a euphemism?? :D

Bucky [8:25PM]: Holy fuck what is with the smiley faces jesus christ. Also, did you mean it about me coming to the S.H.I.E.L.D meeting or whatever the hell the flyer you gave me was about?

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:26PM]: :D :D :D Well I mean you can come to that if you want, but to be honest it’s an introduction class and I won’t even be there for it so…

Bucky [8:30PM]: If you aren’t going to be there then there’s no way in hell I’m going.

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:31PM]: I’m touched. We do have a game every Saturday though. I’d love it if you came.

Bucky [8:32PM]: Consider me there. You’re going to have to teach me how to play though. For real this time. It’s not really my area.

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:33PM]: Of course. :)

Bucky [8:33PM]: When is it? And should I bring anything?

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:35PM]: 8:00 at the shop. Bring snacks! And Clint!

Bucky [8:36PM]: Clint?

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:28PM]: Yeah, Nat wants him there. She plays too.

Bucky [8:35PM]: I told him. He says she should text him herself. And then he made an obscenely happy face. It was gross.

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:36PM]: Awww :)

Bucky [8:36PM]: No, not ‘awww’. You don’t have to deal with his teenage pinning. Definitely not ‘awww’. What kind of snacks?

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:38PM]: Anything that goes well with outrageously expensive whiskey. It’s Tony’s turn to bring the alcohol, so I’m going to guess that’s what we’ll be having.

Bucky [8:40PM]: There’s alcohol?! Oh man I am so sold on this already. I think I like this Tony person.

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:42PM]: :) :) I’ve got to go. See you Saturday!

Bucky [8:42PM]: Wait, I’ve just go to ask. Did you mean it when you said I was overstepping bounds? Because if you’re not interested I will back off…

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [8:44PM]: That was a terrible joke for me to make, and I apologize. I am interested, and would be seriously disappointed if you backed off. :)

Bucky [8:46PM]: Good :) See you Sat.

-

Bucky was wrong. He was horrendously and completely wrong about Tony.

“So this is why I don’t get to use my suit, huh? Because you have a crush on some rockstar in a fake leather jacket?”

“It’s uh… real…” Bucky muttered, trying to placate the short man standing in front of him. His hair was pushed up in a faux hawk with gel, and he wore a threadbare Led Zeppelin shirt. The man’s arms were crossed across his chest and he stood with his hip cocked comically.

The man didn’t seem to want to hear what Bucky had to say, his gaze was intent on Steve, who stood to Bucky’s right in the doorway to the breakroom of Brooklyn Games.

“They’re new, Tony. You’re suit is way too powered to use on a learning campaign,” Steve pushed passed the angry man, tugging Bucky with him. Clint followed as well, darting forward to nab the seat beside Natasha, who smiled at him kindly.

“Fuck that, Rogers,” Tony growled. That was the moment when Bucky realized he didn’t care for Tony much.

“Tony, you do realize how ridiculous this is, right?” A mousy looking man asked from the table. He seemed kind, and Bucky liked him an exponential amount better than 5'9” bundle of fury who was still glaring at Bucky.

“I worked hard to earn that suit, Bruce,” Tony pouted, following Steve to the counter as Steve began to lay out the snacks Bucky and Clint had brought. They were in the back room of Brooklyn Games, and it _did_ in fact have a couch. It also had a round table, a white board with gibberish on it, and a long counter capped with a fridge on the end.

“You are the literal embodiment of every negative stereotype about RPG gamers,” Natasha laughed. Bucky leaned against the counter, smiling as Tony whipped around, glaring at the red-head. Somehow, Bucky felt like that was a bad plan on his part. “You are complaining about making new friends because you don’t get to use your nerd suit. Personally, I’m glad there are some fresh faces around here. I was tired of your ugly mug.”

“Do not start this argument again, Widow.”

“I agree with Tony on this one,” a very large blond man offered from his seat on the other side of Natasha. “Fighting over this again is probably not the best way to welcome strangers.”

“Shut it, hot stuff,” Tony returned to his seat, seemingly done with his tantrum. “I haven’t forgiven you for siding with her the last time this happened.”

“So, if you want to run now, that’s totally fine by me,” a playful voice sounded from Bucky’s right, and he turned to see Steve, leaning up against the counter beside Bucky.

“Are you kidding? This is all the entertainment I need for the whole weekend,” Bucky knocked his shoulder against Steve’s playfully.

“Good,” Steve smiled, moving toward the table. Bucky followed. “Well, let’s get started. First off, as Tony mentioned earlier, I am going to lower your guys’s HP and armour classes, just to make it a bit more fair. We’ll be going through a beginners campaign once they have their characters, just so they can get the feel.”

“Sounds good to me,” the mousey man shrugged. “Though first I think we should know who ‘they’ are.”

“Oh God, yeah,” Steve laughed, “This is Bucky, that’s Clint.”

Steve nodded toward each of them as he introduced them. Bucky smiled, and Clint signed _hello_. To everyone’s surprise, the massive blond perked up at the sight of Clint’s sign language. He raised his own hands, and signed back, _Hello, my name is T-H-O-R._

Clint positively beamed. Everyone around the table, minus Clint and Bucky, stared dumbfounded, completely unaware of what the blond -- Thor -- had said.

“You know sign language?” Natasha asked at the same time Clint signed back, _Pleased to meet you_.

Thor nodded vigorously, grinning at his new friend. Clint grinned back. Bucky wasn’t sure if he should be excited for this budding friendship or not.

“Okay then…” Steve muttered.

“He introduced himself. Thor,” Bucky translated, nudging Steve’s bicep with his elbow.

“Oh, good,” Steve’s eyes were brilliant in the dim light of the room they were in, and Bucky couldn’t help but stare. “So yeah, that’s Thor. That’s Bruce,” he pointed to the mousey man, who smiled. “And, well, yeah. That’s Tony. But you know that already.”

Tony was distracted at this point, shuffling through a stack of papers on the tabletop. He didn’t even acknowledge Steve’s introduction. Bucky had a feeling Tony lost focus pretty easily.

“Thor, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but how do you feel about leaving Mjölnir out of this one?” Steve asked, reaching to take a few papers from the stack Tony was searching through, before standing to write on the whiteboard.

“That’s okay, Steve. No worries,” Thor’s teeth were bared in another grin, and Bucky was a bit concerned that he would get stuck that way. Though, it wouldn’t have been a huge loss if he did, his smile was pretty much gorgeous.

“Thanks so much, Thor,” Steve began to write a few numbers in the column ‘Weapon Class’ under the name Thor Odinson.

“Thor is a God,” Natasha supplied.

“Well, uh,” Clint hesitated. “Yes. He is. I mean according to Norse mythology he is, in fact, a God.”

“I didn’t mean literally,” Natasha knocked against Clint’s shoulder. “I meant in the game. He’s a level 32. He could kick all our asses without even trying.”

“Let’s not get into levels just yet,” Steve stopped the chaos before it began. “Bucky, Clint, we need to build your characters.”

Natasha let out a groan, as though that was some great hardship. As it turned out, it was.

-

By the time they left the store, at close to midnight, Tony was blisteringly drunk, Bucky was frustrated, and Clint and Thor were grinning, hands flying wildly. Bruce had left early in a flurry of apologies. It didn’t really matter though, since very little actual game play took place. A majority of the time was absorbed by character building, which was a long process.

As Steve locked up the store, which is turned out he owned, Bucky stood at his side, looking over the paper clutched in his hands.

“You should totally look in to cybernetics,” Tony slurred, leaning against the shop window.

“That’s high level stuff, Tony,” Steve commented.

“I know, I know,” Tony flapped his hand. Bucky’s character was technically human, but, as Steve explained, things changed.

“Before I started GM-ing, I was barely human anymore,” Steve had told him. “I had so many enhancements.”

“He was a fucking badass,” Tony interjected. Bruce nodded in agreement. Steve blushed.

“What happened? To your character I mean?” Bucky asked, filling in his attack bonus as instructed.

“I was too overpowered. I figured it would be better to give other people a chance to actually enjoy the game if I stopped playing him. We needed a game master, anyway.”

“We all kind of miss him on the team though,” Natasha added. “The Captain kicked ass.”

“Yeah he did,” Bruce reminisced.

Bucky stood in the cool Brooklyn air, considering Tony’s suggestion. His attack bonus was far lower than anyone else’s. Steve assured him it would quickly increase, along with his marks, S.H.I.E.L.D currency. Tony, as it turned out, was a master of collecting, scamming, and saving marks. With his riches, he’d bought himself a self-designed amor suit, which made him close to indestructible.

“Is your suit considered cybernetics?” Bucky asked, following Steve and a stumbling Tony away from Brooklyn games, toward the subway station.

“Nope,” Tony popped the ‘P’, “Just armor.”

“Which is bullshit,” Steve muttered.

“Cybernetics are for offense, armor is defense. And for some reason we only have defense. Why do we only have defense, Steve?”

“Good question, Tony, but I can’t answer that. You guys picked your weapons,” Steve pushed his hair away from his face, leaning in against Bucky a bit, their shoulders pressed together.

“Well, anyway, you should totally deck yourself out in cybernetics. And other shit. Be our weapon. Our cyborg-masterpiece.”

“We’ll see,” Bucky shrugged, unsure if he even liked the game. They’re only managed a few practice rounds. He could see the appeal, but wasn’t sure yet. Steve had asked him to join next weekend, though, and he and Clint accepted immediately.

As they reached the mouth of the subway, Tony disappeared inside, joining Clint, Thor and Natasha, who were already waiting for the train. Steve, however, stopped walking.

“You comin’?” Bucky asked, nodding toward the entrance.

“I walk. I live just another block East.”

“Oh, alright,” Bucky said, shuffling his feet. Steve watched him, smiling. He looked adorable in an oversized hoodie, his straw colored hair falling into his eyes. “Well, I’ll have to say, that was probably the most interesting date I’ve ever been on.”

“Who says it was a date?” Steve asked innocently, but Bucky caught sight of the absolutely devious smirk beneath his clandestine mask.

“Oh no you don’t,” Bucky stepped toward Steve in mock intimidation. “You already said you were interested. No backing out now.”

“I _can_ change my mind, you know?” Steve teased, licking his lips.

“Hmmm,” Bucky lunged forward, catching Steve’s wrist and pulling him in so there was only a few inches of space between them. “Yeah, you _can_. But you won’t.”

“You might be right about that one,” Steve whispered, tipping his head back, showing the pale column of his throat. Bucky leaned in close, their breath mingling. Steve’s hand fell to Bucky’s hip, his eyes closed.

Just as his nose bumped Steve’s, Bucky dropped his hands, stepping away from the blond maliciously. Though he burned with the desire to kiss him, the priceless look on Steve’s face was _almost_  as satisfying.

“Don’t want to miss the train,” Bucky smirked, already tucking inside the entrance. “Have a good night, punk.”

Steve watched helplessly, confused and just a bit amused. When he joined the group beside the tracks they were chatting animatedly. Clint sent him a knowing glance, and Bucky winked in return. Letting Clint think he’d kissed Steve was no hardship, especially when the reality was so much more embarrassing.

-

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [11:52]: No fair! >:(

Bucky [11:54]: You started it.

Steve the Bastard Paperclip [11:59]: I don’t think I like this game anymore. :((

Bucky [12:01]: xoxo

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick guide to nerd talk:   
> GM - Game Master (the person who runs the roleplaying campaign)  
> Marks - Currency used in S.H.I.E.L.D  
> Armour Class - Essentially it's the amount of damage necessary to take down a certain character
> 
> I think that should be it. If you have any other questions or are confused go ahead and leave a comment about it and I will try and clarify it in the text. 
> 
> Thanks! Hope you guys enjoy it!


End file.
